Chronicles of the Demon Faction

Episode 437 The Necessity of Madness (2)

Yeo Geuk-do’s eyes widened as if they were torn.

Seo-ryang, who had prepared for the attack, also looked down at his chest with a puzzled expression.

‘knife?!’

There was a sword stuck in his chest.

But it wasn’t a real sword. To be precise, it was a sword that may or may not be real depending on the person who receives it.

Grumbling.

Cold sweat flowed from Namgung-eon’s forehead.

He was aiming his sword at Seoliang. Namgung-eon’s sword, which was simply called the nameless sword without a name, was not lodged in Seo-ryang’s chest.

‘Then this sword?’

Even Xiliang of the world could not help but be embarrassed at this time.

It was then.

The sword stuck in his chest gradually became translucent and soon turned into smoke and dissipated.

Xi Liang raised his head and looked at Nan Gong Yan. Namgung-eon’s face was now pale.

It was truly a drastic change. He looked extremely exhausted, as if he had exhausted all his strength in an instant. Even breathing became difficult.

Seo-ryang groped his own chest. The sensation of a sword being stuck remained, but surprisingly, there was no pain.

Yeo Geuk-do muttered like a moan.

“⋯⋯Heart Sword (心劍)!”

Yes.

This was Simgeomdo (心劍至道), the final destination of martial arts that a swordsman or martial artist could reach. It was a supreme state where enlightenment reached its peak and one could cut down an opponent with one’s mind without the help of external things.

Xu Liang’s eyes wavered.

‘Master?!’

This is the state of two heavens.

Of course, even though he had reached the level of mental inspection, Lee Cheon-sang did not throw a fantastic sword like this. Lee Cheon-sang was a true martial god who reached the final stage of the mind and sword and even caused natural disasters using the techniques of the mind and sword.

Compared to that, Namgung-eon’s state is very shabby. However, even if I washed my eyes and searched for the person who had been appointed to the status of a prosecutor in the martial arts world of the time, I could not find him.

The pinnacle of enlightenment that even Yeogeukdo, who is superior to Namgung-eon in terms of simple combat power, and Seoryang, who is unrivaled in terms of actual combat ability, have not been able to reach.

Clap!

The nameless sword fell to the ground.

Namgoong Eon collapsed on the spot. Xi Liang hurriedly helped him up.

“Huh! “Huh!”

Xu Liang’s eyes wavered.

‘Oh my…!’

Namgung-eon’s body was drenched in sweat.

That wasn’t all. As time passed, my breathing became heavier and my nose was bleeding.

There are even signs of internal injuries. My enlightenment was deeper than anyone else’s, but my body couldn’t keep up with it. I realized the deep sword by consuming extreme internal energy, but that was the limit.

“Are you okay?”

“Heo-eok! Heo-eok! I’m fine. I’ll recover gradually.”

Chin!

Namgung-eon grabbed Seo-ryang’s forearm.

“Cough!” “How was it?”

“⋯⋯?”

“Wasn’t it a decent blow?”

Seo-ryang, who was looking down at Nam Gung-eon with trembling eyes, soon sighed deeply.

“It was the best attack I’ve ever received.”

“Hehe, seeing that the best horse in the world has acknowledged it, it seems that my swordsmanship that I have been practicing for so long was not wrong.”

“I got hit without even knowing how I was getting hit.”

“No, that’s not true. “If there was life in my mind and sword, your body would have reacted before you were even conscious of it.”

This means that he had no intention of killing Seo-ryang by striking his heart sword. From the beginning, I knew that I could not defeat Seoliang with a sword imbued with flesh and blood.

Seoyang stroked his chest once again.

I still felt the sensation of being hit by the sword, but I didn’t feel any pain. Although I was aware of the ‘fact’ that I had been hit by a sword, I knew that it was an illusory sword.

Namgung-eon quietly admired.

“That’s amazing. No matter how lifeless a heart sword is, it would be difficult for it to stand still like you did. This is because the moment it realizes that it has been stabbed by a sword, it actually experiences a similar shock.”

“Right.”

“It’s just as I expected. “You are a person who moves according to your emotions, but you are also a person who can maintain a cool-headedness.”

Seoliang laughed.

“Did you just use your heart and sword to confirm that?”

“No. “I just wanted to plant it.”

“What do you mean?”

Namgoong-eon closed his eyes.

“Close your eyes too. And feel what I have given you.”

Seo-ryang, who was quietly looking down at Nam Gung-eon, also slowly closed his eyes.

‘Feel what has been conveyed?’

What did this old kendo master put in his heart sword other than life?

It was then.

Flash!

A light as strong as the sun burst out from inside my chest.

That too was just an illusion. A fantasy that only Seoryang can see.

I can see even when my eyes are closed and I can hear even when no sound is made. Even though we didn’t have a conversation, I could tell what the light was trying to say, and even though it wasn’t a person, the emotions were being shared.

‘This is the heart sword.’

A state where you can cut down your enemies with your heart.

People express the state of mind and sword like that. But that is both right and wrong.

Simgeom was not simply a sword for killing enemies. It can convey a realization that cannot be expressed in words, and can either stably control the other person’s emotions or cause them to run wild.

The same was true of Namgoong Eon’s swordsmanship.

He had no intention of killing Xu Liang. However, he wanted to convey the principles of the world he knew and the world he realized.

Seoliang could see. The devastated civilians screaming and groaning in a world where the sky is on fire.

The sight of them screaming and shedding bloody tears was both creepy and pitiful. If there is a hell of father and daughter, wouldn’t it be something like this?

“Did you see it?”

“⋯⋯I saw it.”

Namgoong Eon opened his eyes.

It seemed like he had calmed down quite a bit and his rough breathing became a little more stable.

“I am a person who has devoted my whole life to kendo. I became the head of the family and led Namgung, but in fact, I was busy protecting righteousness, righteousness, and Tao rather than the revival of Namgung. However, that sense of responsibility also carried the sword. “Nothing could compare to my love for you.”

“⋯⋯.”

“I passed on the position of head of the family to my son and lived with my eyes focused solely on the sword. I realized one thing.”

“What is that?”

“That it is no different.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Whether you live crazy with the sword or run wild day and night for the revival of your family, in the end, if the world is not like the world, it has no meaning. That is also why masters who devoted themselves to one path spend their later years with nature as their friend.”

“That’s too far-fetched.”

“It’s far away, but it’s close. “For the world to be like the world, it also means that people must be like human beings.”

Namgoong Eon’s eyes deepened.

“You said you would burn down Gangseo City. But it’s not really that easy. It may be easy to give orders, but it’s hard to ignore the blood shed by people who shouldn’t be involved. Are you really confident that you can handle the despair and regret of so many people?”

“I…”

“What did you feel as you looked at the vision my sword gave you? Did you feel joy or sadness?”

“⋯⋯.”

Seo-ryang could not easily continue speaking.

Looking up at him, Nam Gung-eon burst out laughing.

“Look. You are a person who can be harsher than anyone else, but you are also a very soft person.”

“If you don’t feel sorry even after seeing such a scene, you are not human.”

“That’s right. In other words, you are a human being. Just because you are called a demon or a monster, you should not forget that you are human.”

Nam Gung-eon’s hand, which was holding Seo-ryang’s arm, was filled with great power.

“I am not opposed to your plan to eliminate Gangseo Merchants Association. I do not have the right to do that. If I really don’t want to do that, I will even summon the warriors of my family to confront you. “That is the solution of the martial arts world where you and I live.”

“⋯⋯.”

“But not the civilians. They are not martial people. What I’m saying is that we shouldn’t force individuals to become the foundation of a group’s world.”

“⋯⋯”

“I don’t think you’ll really kill the civilians. “It may seem like a play on words, but you only said you would turn Gangseo Province into a sea of fire, and you never said you would mess with the civilians.”

Seo-ryang smiled bitterly.

“Did you know everything?”

“That’s right. I knew that you were trying to end this matter as a matter of martial arts. No, I believed it, and I still believe it.”

“If you knew, why did you push yourself so hard?”

“I trusted you in the past and I trust you now. “But I don’t trust you in the future.”

“⋯⋯”

“If you keep going like this, one day you will become a real monster.”

“It’s not a bad future.”

“If the powerful are not afraid of shedding blood, the world will become hell. You know that, right?”

Seo-ryang’s eyes deepened.

Nam Gung-eon smiled.

“You are a huge tree that has already grown crooked. And I don’t have the strength to pull that huge tree out by its roots. Is there any other way? I can only cut it down, leaving only the base. .”

He smiled and slowly closed his eyes.

“I guess I used too much strength. My eyes are closing.”

“I will reserve a room for you. “Please rest comfortably.”

“It’s called Yu’s Shopping Mall. “It is a branch of the main family and a commercial district in Gangseo.”

“Ah-oh.”

“I asked Gaju Yu to contact the leadership of Gangseo Chamber of Commerce. “He’ll probably come looking for me.”

“⋯⋯.”

“You will greet them instead of me.”

Xiliang sighed.

“If you do something useless like this again in the future, I will lock you up in some mountain valley.”

“haha! “I can stay with the sword until I die.”

With those words, Namgung-eon lost consciousness. The aftereffects of using the mind sword were that great.

Seo-ryang whetted his appetite.

“You look like a damn old man. “Why bother doing useless things instead of cutting?”

Yeo Geuk-do shook his head.

“Because you saved his life.”

“yes?”

“You had many opportunities to kill him, but you didn’t.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Even if it was a one-on-one competition, it would have been difficult for the Sword King to defeat you. “But he didn’t give up on life or death because he was afraid of defeat.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know what he imparted to you, but don’t ignore that realization. “I hope it will at least help you and not harm you.”

Xu Liang sighed.

“Enough harm has been done. “The screening became chaotic.”

That night.

Seoryang, who was drinking with the lantern on, heard the sound of Hocheonma Hwangdanju’s message.

[CEO.]

[What’s going on?]

[It is said that a golden carriage has departed from the Gangseo Commercial Association.]

[Hoeju?]

[It is said that only the Hoeju can use a carriage made entirely of gold.]

[At Yu’s Shopping Mall?]

[There was no call.]

Seo-ryang smiled.

“It seems like a failure. “Well, since Hoeju came out in person, he must not be in the mood to meet anyone.”

He spoke into the air.

“Don’t hold back.”

[We accept the leader’s orders.]

The Hocheon Demon Emperor once again fell into silence.

How much time has passed?

Creak. Creak.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I felt strong tension and excitement with each step.

Xi Liang placed an empty glass across from him.

“Come and have a drink.”

“⋯⋯Cheonma Siyo?”

“Yes.”

The light from the lantern was cast on the face of the old man who came up the dark stairs, giving him an eerie look.

“My name is Wijinobaek (尉遲魯相), head of the Gangseo Chamber of Commerce.”